JROTC Inspection

Marlboro County High School Earns Honor Unit with Distinction Status and ranks in the top 15% of Army JROTC units in the nation!

Posted on 12/15/2017

The Marlboro County High School (MCHS) Army JROTC Department stood its formal JROTC Program for accreditation (JPA) inspection on Wednesday November 29, 2017. Army JROTC units are evaluated every three years to insure they are adhering to AdvancED Standards for Accreditation regarding cadre instructional proficiency and cadet learning. There are three ratings a unit can receive: Honor Unit With Distinction by scoring 95% overall proficiency, Proficiency by scoring between 70 – 94% and Unsatisfactory by receiving a score below 70%. The Marlboro County High School Army JROTC Bulldog Battalion earned a score of 95.125% out of 100 resulting in earning the Honor Unit with Distinction status. Only 15% of Army JROTC programs nationwide earn this top rating.

Army JROTC units that earn the Honor Unit with Distinction status have the opportunity for its cadets to apply for an appointment to our nation’s military academies: West Point, Annapolis, The Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy with a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction nomination. LTC(R) Justin F. Blum, the MCHS JROTC Senior Army Instructor can write the nominations for the cadets that meet the prerequisites for the service academies.

The Battalion Command and Staff structure prepared and executed a Battalion Staff Continuous Improvement Project briefing. The goal for the battalion, specified in the briefing was to raise ASVAB test scores for not only the cadets in the Bulldog Battalion, but for the students in the high school. As a result of ASVAB Preparation Sessions, conducted by local recruiters of all components, the ASVAB scores for Marlboro County High School went from a 30% pass rate to a 63% pass rate. Battalion goals must be set so either improvements can be made in either academic or community areas which will benefit all concerned. The cadet command and staff structure earned 32.75 points out of 35. The members of the command and staff structure are as follows:

LTC RaKwon Sellers Battalion Commander

MAJ Jeffrey Swann Battalion Executive Officer

CSM Courtney Lesesne Battalion Command Sergeant Major

CPT Grace Westmoreland Battalion Personnel Officer

CPT Richard Hainey Battalion Security Officer

MAJ Phillip Locklear Battalion Operations and Training Officer

CPT Jasmine McDonald Battalion Supply Officer

CPT Heather Hodge Battalion Public Affairs Officer

A Service Learning briefing was conducted which earned 17.5 points out of a possible 20. The project that was briefed was the execution of five blood drives per school year. Marlboro County High School is one of the few high schools in the state of South Carolina that conducts five blood drives per year averaging a minimum of 40 units of blood collected per drive. Cadet service learning briefers were as follows: MAJ Eli Cox, 1SG Justus Haigh, and Corporal Bethany Hatcher.

The cadet Drill Team and Color Guard team performed admirably and earned a total of 25 out of 30 points for the exhibition portion of the inspection. C/SFC Andrew Caraway led the drill team while C/MAJ Eli Cox led the Color Guard demonstration.

Each cadet in the battalion prepared a portfolio. The Cadet Portfolio is one of the most authentic forms of assessment within the JROTC Program. Each cadet creates a portfolio which contains an organized collection of work based on accomplishments, personality, goals, and aspirations. They show evidence of problem-solving, decision making, critical thinking and leadership. They also serve as a guide to the cadet interviews conducted during the inspection. Eleven cadet portfolios were reviewed and a maximum score of 20 points was earned by the cadets participating in this aspect of the inspection. The ten cadets are as follows:

Brandon Shaw LET I cadet

Talayzia Brown LET I cadet

Cedric Little LET I cadet

Jordan Ward LET I cadet

Brittney Caulder LET II cadet

Andrew Caraway LET II cadet

Heather Hodge LET III cadet

Grace Westmoreland LET III cadet

Justus Haigh LET III cadet

Richard Hainey LET IV cadet

Phillip Locklear LET IV cadet

Major Jeffrey Swann, Battalion Executive Officer commented, “Teamwork and determination helped us pass the inspection. I couldn’t be more proud of our cadets!”

Captain Heather Hodge, Battalion Public Affairs Officer commented, “Inspection day brought to life our greatest thoughts and gave us a chance to give birth to new ideas!”